April Fishing In NY State

    Spring brings such a multitude of fishing opportunities that no one can take advantage of them all. April first is opening day for trout fisherman in the Finger Lakes tributaries. Catherine Creek which runs into Seneca Lake being the most famous, but any tributary to any of the larger finger lakes is likely to host a run of spawning rainbows. Lake fishing gets back in gear with many people running planner boards along the shore line of Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes looking for hungry trout and salmon. Many smaller streams, lake and ponds are stocked with trout by the state and are eagerly awaited by local fisherman. Some of these would be Sing Sing Creek, Cayuta Creek, Newton Creek, Cohocton River, Eldrige Lake and Park Station. The list of all state stocked waters is to big to list but if you click here you can see the DEC break down listed by county.

   Another possiblity for NY fisherman is the fact that the shad and striped bass begin the migration from the Atlantic Ocean to spawn in fresh water streams the two biggest being the Delaware River and the Hudson River. Shad and striped bass are a real challenge to catch and a novice should consider the use of a guide for the first outing. For a list of Charter Captains that would be happy to introduce you to the wonderful fishing that takes place every year on the Hudson River Click Here.

   The date was April 11, 2004 when Anthony Muscarella caught this fantastic spring flounder from the waters of Sheepshead Bay off Coney Island. He was fishing from a private boat and was using mussels as bait. If you would like a Sheepheads Bay fishing report you can read the latest from Capt. Kevin Bradshaw of Dorothy B VIII a party boat sailing from Pier 6 in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York.

  The date was April 27, 2005 when Ed Fowler was fishing on Fishkill Creek in Dutchess County, NY. Ed was using a Rooster Tail, on 4 pound test line.when this beautiful 22 inch brown trout decided to make a snack out of it. Ed has been fishing the Fishkill Creek for the past 25 years and this is the largest brown trout that he has ever seen or caught from the stream.

 Fishkill Creek is a large tributary that flows into the lower portion of the Hudson River. Fishkill Creek is an important spawning area for anadromous fishes, such as alewife, blueback herring, white perch, tomcod, and striped bass. Fish species found here include largemouth bass, bluegill, brown bullhead, and carp. Upper sections of Fishkill Creek receive annual stockings of brown trout.

  Pictured from left to right is Dave Criss of Pine City N.Y. Raymond Martin of Elmira, N.Y. and James Cleary of Big Flats N.Y. They are holding up a great days catch they caught fishing aboard the BUC-A -ROO. This was around mid April 2000. The fishing was fantastic and we had limited out before 11 A.M.

  We caught coho salmon, brown trout, and steelhead all off planer boards on stick baits this spring fishing can be fast and furious!! The coho salmon were averaging around 8 pounds and one brown trout went almost 12 pounds! The stickbaits were fished along the mud line in 10 to 15 foot of water and the brighter colors orange and fire tiger seemed to be more productive. Also in the clear water the rapala's black and silver and the perch were working great.

  April 18, 2004 Joe Bergen from Lock Haven P.A. returned to Seneca Lake and caught his first landlocked salmon ever. The fine specimen was a feisty 6 pounder. It was caught on a watermelon Hi Tech spoon trolled at 2.5 mph about 50 feet down in 100 feet of water.

  The recent heavy rains have really clouded up the normally clear Seneca Lake. The fish were hanging right in the middle of the lake where the clearer cold lake water of 38 degrees was mixing with the canal water of 46 degrees. Trolling was a bit difficult as there was a lot of debris in the water column from the recent storms. The 2004 fishing season is off to a good start.